John Shafer is proud to be a community college faculty member, one of the best jobs in the world, he feels, as it is true education for the people. And, he says, “I can’t think of a better place to teach than right here on the beautiful campus of Middlesex Community College with its great students, dedicated fellow faculty, and enthusiastic group of supporting staff, administrators, and community volunteers.”

Currently Shafer is a full Professor and senior faculty member at Middlesex where he has taught since 1986. He divides his teaching load between courses in film & media and philosophy & religion. He currently serves as program coordinator of the Communication, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and General Studies programs. Prior to this he served as Chair of the Humanities-Arts Division and coordinator of the Broadcast Communications program. He is co-founder of the college’s Digital Arts/Multimedia program and has authored major revisions to the Communication, Broadcast Communication, Liberal Arts & Science, and General Studies programs as well as proposing and implementing over 30 new courses at the college. He played a key role in reestablishing the college’s journalism and theater disciplines. Along with this he co-founded the student newspaper, The Flying Horse, and annual summer performing arts festivals in ballet and Shakespeare in the Grove in partnership with the Connecticut Ballet and ARTFARM. In 2008 he co-developed the nationally recognized, Connecticut Film Industry Training program held at Middlesex. Recently, Shafer has focused his efforts on sustainability issues and co-founded the college’s Sustainability Team that helped implement a sustainability priority in the college’s strategic plan. Professor Shafer has twice received the Board of Trustees Merit Award for academic excellence as well as two Professional Staff Awards for service to students.

Originally from California, Prof. Shafer attended the University of Southern California as an undergraduate humanities major, then moved east to attend graduate school at Syracuse University, where he studied film and media, and the University of Connecticut, where he studied philosophy. He also studied and worked in Europe for two years, mostly in London and Paris, which he considers two of the most stimulating years of his life.

Shafer has worked in film and television for many years both before and while teaching at Middlesex. His production credits include work in feature films, commercials, documentaries, children’s programming, and music videos, as well as educational and corporate videos. He has done several projects in cooperation with Connecticut Public Television, worked on the feature film THE NATURAL, crewed on a music video for Sting, produced political ads for Governor Jerry Brown, and co-produced the award-winning, nationally syndicated TV show, KID STUFF. His work has received an Emmy, (3) Awards for Cable Excellence (ACE), (2) Action for Children’s Television Awards, as well as TELLY and COMMUNICATOR Awards.

Shafer has also had a long-time interest in human values, the nature of consciousness, and trying to understand the meaning of our current human condition, which he believes is in a state of crisis and transformation. This has greatly motivated his on-going study of philosophy, religion, spirituality, culture, history, and the transition movement. In addition to formal studies in philosophy and religion, Shafer has studied and practiced a variety of inner traditions including Yoga, Zen Buddhist meditation, Transpersonal Psychology, Grof Holotropic Breathing, Sufism, Shamanism, and Native American culture & spirituality. He has traveled extensively, including most of Europe, Israel, northern Africa, India, and Russia, as well as in the United States, Canada, and northern Mexico.

Shafer currently lives in Portland, Connecticut and is the proud father of four home-schooled children. He feels parenting has taught him more about human nature than any academic studies. One of his personal goals is to try and establish a mostly self-sustaining intentional community, or eco-village, in Connecticut that could help serve as a model for a more sustainable way of living.

Middlesex Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or genetic information in its programs and activities. In addition, the College does not discriminate in employment on the additional basis of veteran status or criminal record.
The following people have been designated to handle inquiries or complaints regarding non-discrimination policies and practices: Primary Title IX Coordinator: Dr. Adrienne Maslin; Dean of Students/Title IX and Section 504/ADA Coordinator, Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Road, Middletown, CT 06457; amaslin@mxcc.edu.

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Back in the 1950s, some women didn’t attend college right after high school, and while MxCC alumna Sally Smith liked to learn, she began college much later in life.
Originally from East Hampton, Sally grew up in Meriden and graduated from Meriden High School in 1958. Her father initially discouraged her from going to college or joining the Navy like her brothers. Instead, she started her own family. But years later, Sally was divorced and, because her children were still small, she had to sell her house and go on state aid.
In order to get off Medicaid, Sally became a licensed practical nurse (LPN) through the Vinal Tech program in Middletown in 1973.
While working as an LPN in a nursing home, Sally met a patient in her eighties who was a talented painter and always wanted to exhibit in her own art show. Sally simply went ahead and arranged an art exhibit and reception for her in Cheshire, where the patient even sold two paintings. “She was beside herself with joy!” recalled Sally.
By the 1980s, Sally’s kids were grown and she explored the idea of attending college. She first attended Southern Connecticut State University, but that campus experience was not for her. Instead she decided to audit an algebra class at Middlesex Community College. She then enrolled in more classes and worked with a tutor to improve her grades. For a while, she lived near the former MxCC Meriden Center and also took classes there. She even reconnected with old acquaintance in one of her classes, Betty Berger. They knew each other previously when their kids were in dance class together.
After attending MxCC part-time into the 1990s, Sally earned her associate degree in human services. “I had a very good experience at Middlesex. I enjoyed being there, and the teachers were great,” she reiterated.
While still working as a nurse, Sally met an elderly male patient of Irish descent, who said he never had been to Ireland. She talked with his daughter to see if this was even physically possible for him to travel. She agreed, so Sally again proceeded to see how to arrange this for him. She spoke with other senior wish agencies that told Sally she would have to do all the work. If that was the case, why not start her own foundation with the mission of fulfilling the dreams of senior adults?
In 2007, Sally and her friend Betty launched a nonprofit organization called Seniors Have Dreams, Too. The group’s purpose is “to make a difference in the lives of the elderly and create opportunities for seniors with limited resources to experience a lifelong dream.” The nationwide program is offered to seniors 65 years of age or older, living below the poverty level, and physically and mentally able to experience a wish. Receiving no grant money, the group operates on individual donations and holds an annual arts and crafts fundraiser.
Recently, the organization granted several wishes—a 78-year-old woman with cancer living in Las Vegas went to a concert for the first time; a Connecticut woman’s dream was to visit the casino again with her friends; a woman in her eighties received piano lessons and recorded a CD; a former airline hostess rode in a helicopter—all made possible through the work of Sally’s organization.
“No matter how old you are, you should always have something to look forward to. None of your memories should be old,” she said, who now lives in Wallingford.
Sally still takes her nursing job very seriously. “ I love my job working in nursing homes. This is where I belong. I love working with the elderly and kids with disabilities. I’m getting things for nothing, and so I have to give back,” said Sally emphatically.
What is Sally’s dream? “To complete a bachelor’s degree before turning 90 years old,” she said. “But now my job is to make people smile.”
To donate, sponsor or apply for a dream, or attend the December 1 crafts fair, visit www.seniorshavedreams.org.
October 2018

MxCC will be closed on Thursday, November 22 and Friday, November 23, in celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday. All offices will reopen on Monday, November 26.